Plans for a €40m beef processing plant for Banagher, Co Offaly face a fresh planning hurdle in the form of an appeal to An Bord Pleanála.
It comes as the Chinese backers of the project are understood to be re-applying for residency under the Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP), having being refused access previously.
The Department of Justice told the Farming Independent that at the time the initial residency application was being considered, planning permission had not been granted and it did not consider it appropriate for IIP permissions to be granted to projects where planning permission has not been approved.
